Monday, December 29, 2008

Kobe has been my favorite since I was little (seriously, age 3) and I haven't been in a couple years, so tonight was pretty fantastic. My mom and Roger took us all out for a yummy unexpected dinner of rice and veggies, shrimp and chicken for my little carnivorous son. The chocolate mousse is still heaven. I tried it again tonight just to be sure.

My offspring using cheater's chopsticks...

Our reactions after I shoved a bunch of bean sprouts in his mouth...Good times. Hooray for family and hibachi!

Friday, December 26, 2008

This was a modest Christmas for our family but somehow turned out to be one of the best. I was most happy about seeing my wonderful little (but not so little anymore) cousins, Matthew and Megan. I haven't seen Matthew in so long and it was a total surprise that he even showed up. Everyone was happy and I ate way too much, but this is what made it a great day:I did get the Truffaut box set I've been wanting and some blu-rays which is awesome. Bradley got all kinds of toys and such but was most excited about all the Star Wars toys from Grandpa and Grandma Pitts, as you can see from the picture below. Thank you guys so much!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Bradley came to work and had a great time. He raced my co-workers in the parking garage, drew them pictures and geeked about Star Wars. (Pictures to come.) We had a big family thing tonight and I ate too much and got to hang with my super rad cousin Megan that I love so much and whose hair I deeply envy. This is us prepping for a picture. I thought it was funnier than the actual picture we prepped for.

I fed Splinter lots of turkey (my family does not share my vegan views which tends to work in kitty girl's favor) and she zoned out to that magical happy cat land for a good three hours.

I told B Santa wasn't real but he doesn't believe me and went ahead and wrote him a note to go with his cookie and egg nog.

Katie (Jaren's mom, my long lost bff) wins the best gift ever contest! She made this way cool calendar for Bradley with pictures of him and Jaren (homies 4 life) throughout the years, with cool ideas for them to do on the same day so it can be like having "Bradley and Jaren fun day" even though they live far apart now. She also gave me some sweet earings and a Marilyn charm that I fully intend to make into a necklace.Finally, I got this great hoodie from the coolest friend ever.LOVE IT!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

This Saturday we decided to forgo the skate park, I peeled myself away from my laptop (despite the looming workload) and Bradley away from the Playstation and we had ourselves a nice little "Bradley and Mommy Fun Day" as we used to call them.

First we visited Wendy in Denton and had delicious (recipe shareage, plzkthx) gingerbread pancakes with her cute roomies and exchanged presents. Wuwie (that's what B called her back in his droolin' days) totally spoiled us as you'll see from the picture below.

We borrowed her awesome vintage bike for a little experiment that I will elaborate on at a later date, so we had to lug that home. As I tried to move the beast from my backseat to the garage, B worked on his ollies. I should have taken a picture. They're getting pretty good.

Then it was off to NorthPark for what felt like hours of trying to find a parking space but it was totally worth it. We made a lap around the mall checking out puppet shows and other fun Christmasy things. B put his head on my lap and sang "Silent Night" along with the old lady chorus. He was so sweet and angelic in that moment I almost cried. But before long he was back to boydom, running and sliding down that thing in NorthPark that all parents hate (see below) and trying to touch the turtles in the little indoor creek.

Finally we ate some Panda Express, bought sack fulls of candy (longest gummi snake ever, see below) and smuggled them in to The Tale of Despereaux. I must say it rates pretty high on the list of non-festival animated films I've seen in the past couple years. That said, most kid's movies suck these days. It got a little lost plot-wise but it was sweet, old fashioned, beautifully animated and didn't try to be too funny. Emma Watson and Frank Langella were awesome. Matthew Broderick... meh, whatever. Still, very cute and inspired us to go tearing through the NorthPark parking lot holding hands, weilding imaginary swords and yelling "Courage! Honor! Truth! Integrity!" I love love love that kid. I may also be the most immature mom on the planet.

Sunday we visited the Dallas World Aquarium (always a favorite of ours) and saw how big and playful the jaguar has gotten! The manatees were awesome but the sloth was my fav. He was out of his cage, just chillin on a tree with people all around. I know this is dumb but I didn't realize how slow they actually move. It made me sleepy just watching him. We could barely see the other sloth curled up under a blankie in a hammock. If I get to come back as an animal I know which one I'm picking.We had lunch with a friend afterward at Village Burger Bar. I also had a little non-Bradley movie watching time that included Frost/Nixon, Bad Santa (FP's Christmas choice) and Love Actually (my Christmas choice, obv). Langella's getting the Oscar nom, no doubt. Also, I've always loved Oliver Platt. It's so nice to see him getting good roles. I still choke up to the Bay City Rollers. It was a really good weekend.

Friday, December 19, 2008

I mean really, do I need to say anything more? Yesterday I ran around sharing my OMG!!'s with everyone and met an office full of blank stares and two uuuughMG's that were not of the excited/happy variety. Why does everyone hate this idea? And why does Cinematical care so much that it's going to be Luhrmannized? Let the auteur be the auteur.I'M SO EXCITED!!!

I was so ready to be a creative writing machine today but I just could NOT sleep last night. Every time I'd start to nod off something would shake me awake again. I have no idea what was up. Maybe it's because I drank caffeine yesterday? Anyway, it sucked. I've already been through Doolittle and Surfer Rosa this morning and now I'm sitting here bumping some Michael Jackson in my little skull candies and still nothing... I need some inspiration. Whatchu got?

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Check out the sweet slippers MichSanta got me that I'm now wearing around the office! They are so much more awesome than my boots and could potentially replace them entirely. I'm taking "casual work environment" to a whole new level, folks. She also got me a way pretty scarf and you know how I love scarves. I scored big time and it's not even real Christmas yet!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Seriously so happy. How do I know this, other than the elated spirit and overall feeling of health? I know this because it was tested by a rough situation and I must say I soared through it. And I'm still happy. I knew I could get through this. I'm way too badass not to.

Five months ago I barely even talked to the people I work with because I was so down and now they're some of my favorite people ever. Six months ago I canceled a move because I was convinced sticking it out would work out better in the end. For so long now I haven't put me first and now that I am I'm finding that it's so much better for me and the people I love.

...or series of pictures. I stumbled upon it randomly on this site and thought it was beautiful. We often see children do things like this but I especially appreciate the faces of the dads. I know what I felt that night and it's nice to have a reminder of it.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Now my story:In the past 10 months I have had 3 severe anxiety attacks where my heart rhythm changes significantly and I am unable to breathe. I've also passed out, become light headed and ill and, most recently, blacked out in traffic. By some miracle I didn't get hurt but from what I understand I was very difficult to wake up and very disoriented. This kind of stuff has never happened to me before but it's almost taken over the last year of my life and has really begun to worry me.

The good news... I finally understand why. The night before the traffic incident I was in an intense emotionally stressful situation and began to have the third of said anxiety attacks. The situation was the same one I had been in for the other two attacks so the immediate reason was obvious, but this time the physical effects were far worse than before. I knew something bad was going on with my body but didn't know what to do about it. I remember just feeling like I was dying. Blacking out was the last straw. Medical attention and life reevaluation were totally necessary.

So here's the conclusion. I fix it. Nothing like this has ever happened to me, which means that the situation I've been in for the past year is one that's detrimental to my physical (not to mention emotional) health. Also, I've realized that when it's not a part of my life I am happier, feel better and am more myself. Sounds simple, no? No anger or hard feelings, just love, health and happiness.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

It all makes sense now. It's the same basic idea but in French, at Christmastime and starring a bunch of actors I've never heard of (with the exception of Catherine Deneuve). I love Wes Anderson and all but this is how that story was meant to be told. Excellent.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

If I made a list of things that I have zero interest in, professional wrestling would definitely be near the top. In fact, I kind of hate it... for all the reasons that you'd expect.

BUT the other day I had the opportunity to see Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler and, being a fan of Mr. Aronofsky's work (and hearing all the Mickey Rourke buzz) I attended despite my lack of interest in the subject matter.

Believe it or not, I don't mind being wrong if it means my mind is opened and I'm able to experience something new and good. It seems a silly thing to say that being shown a different side of professional wrestling was a meaningful thing for me, but it really was. Though I had to turn away for some of the more violent scenes, I found myself becoming very attached to the wrestlers and wanting to know more about them. It helped that Darren Aronofsky and Marisa Tomei were there after the film for a Q&A at which he informed us that of the dozens of wrestlers in the film, Mickey Rourke was the only actor. As they were operating on a small budget, they took the cameras into actual rings and locker rooms and basically filmed these guys doing their thing, waiting for just the right moment to throw Mickey into the mix. The result is organic and affecting, and allows Mickey a natural environment in which to carry out (big statement here) THE performance of his career. This is one of those times when I could not imagine this role without this actor or this actor without this role.

Of course I have to talk for a minute about the camera work. I really appreciated the way it was done. There were without question a couple breathtaking, cinematic shots that I could talk for hours about. But what I loved the most was the guerilla approach to shooting that took the camera inside the ring, followed--handheld--over Mickey's shoulder as he walked and opted for natural light rather than dramatic affect. Even some cheesy/predictable shots work brilliantly in this case, reminding us of the nature of the sport and complimenting the good humor that lies (or used to lie) within our main character. My favorite writer is Virginia Woolfe because the style with which she writes reflects her subject or the action of her subject. I can say the same about filmmaking. Give me any movie about any subject and if it's shot in a way that is reflective of what it is trying to show or say, I will enjoy it on some level. I think it shows a reverance for ones film and an investment in the creative process. Tanget over.

I have to add that I also had a personal reaction that I was not expecting, having not heard anything but the basics about the film before I went in. For that I was appreciative. I relate every film to my own experiences but this one happened to be quite timely for me, and it was nice to be able to have that experience.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

And these are the things that keep me happy... Bradley's dirty, cute little face, my tiny dinosaurs eating the giant bird with a chipped beak, le petit prince, a gallon of "life water", Merritt's stanky leg shoes, memories of Greek chocolate and Hamlet 2, the note from the crazy man and a star I colored.

Monday, December 1, 2008

I pissed like 5 people off, got really embarrassed (rare for me) twice, confused who knows how many people (self included), got mad lectured and am now ending a potentially-awesome-yet-completely-wasted night. Alone.

This is no "feel sorry for me" post, it's damage control.

My sincerest apologies to anyone I offended, weirded out, ignored, confused or annoyed. Today was the offest of off days. Here's to forgetting about what upset me, letting go of what I can't change and getting some sleep so my brain functions again.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl from Panera is one of life's little pleasures. It can't be done very often but every now and then it makes the perfect cold day lunch. I took a picture of said lunch to send to Missy the other day (it's one of our things)...

Then when I got down to only bread (don't judge) I decided to tear out one last little piece from the bottom and look what happened...

I didn't do it on purpose, swear! But it's true... I do so love Panera. Not to be confused with Pantera... who I never loved, no matter what my journal from junior high says.

You never stood a chance. You came to me on Thanksgiving day, the day before Black Friday. While I did use $200 of you to pay my student loan, I don't believe that any part of you will get to rest peacefully in my Credit Union savings account or snuggle up for hibernation in a CD as originally planned.

No, you see, I am a low maintenance kind of girl and as such I require spending exorbitant amounts of money on my hair so that for the next year I don't really have to do much to it. One visit to Matthew Tully (thanks Melina!) later and my hair was back to its natural color but you were severely hurting. (Alas, so am I right now... haircolor remorse I think. I hope I get used to it...)(Sorry, there's really no way to not be awkward taking a picture like this but I needed to show the hair for the full effect.)

The next place you went was significantly less necessary. ModCloth.com is heaven's gift to our gender and they're having an unheard of 50% off sale for one day only. What's a girl to do? I do believe, dear paycheck, that this vintage-inspired handbag for 21 bucks will answer your question....Sal's pizza was definitely not necessary, but lunch with my co-workers is an important part of the creative process and studies show that these office outings lead to greater in-office productivity. Promise. Plus, there's nothing better than mushroom + black olive + laughter for the day after a crappy Thanksgiving, let's be honest.

So, I know I'm saving for all those big life changes and what not but how often do I get to spend you on myself? From here on out I promise to only spend you on gas, food and bills... and other things that are necessary to survival. Also, if you could work on learning how to double yourself, that would be awesome.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Criterion launched their new website and it is everything one could hope for. My favorite part is the CURRENT section which features excellent reviews and gives everyone a chance to weigh in. I love the one that's up right now for Bottle Rocket (the blu-ray of which is next on my list of Criterion purchases). Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Recap: mad dash to the hellhole that is WalMart, 7 yards of black polyester because that's all they had, sew sew sew, sleep sle--alarm, Denton, do something that mildly resembles acting, HOOYA! (or hoo-ha's as Jamie calls it), video games, sleep.Update: Here's an idea of how the costume turned out...and a comparison for those not familiar with The Seventh Seal...

hmm... could have been less flowy. Oh well. It was fun and I can't wait to see the finished product... although I can do without my scene.